Improvement in cloth-pressing machines



W. HEBDON. Cloth-Pressing Machines.

No'.2o5,o5. l qParenteelJune18,1878.

. bers.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OEEIcE.

WILLIAM HEBDON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT `IN CLOTHrPRESSING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205.085, dated June 18, 1878 application filed April 12, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WlLLrAM HEBDON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Gloth-Pressin g Machines, of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged sectional view, showing one of the heating-cham- Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views of the indicating mechanism. Fig. 6 is a view of the stopping device for the measuring-roll, and Fig. 7 a view of the folder.

This invention is an improvement on my Patent No. 168,017, dated September 21,1875, for an improved process and machine for pressing cloth. In this patent cloth is folded up on the bed of a press, with heated leaves interposed between its folds, and subjected to the action of the press, heating-chambers being employed, locatedinconvenient relation to the press and adapted to `heat the leaves.

Thepresent improvements have fortheir objects to facilitate the passage of theheated leaves to and from their heating-chambers, and theadjustment of the vertical guide-pins which hold the leaves on the bed of the press 5 also, to provide an improved measuring apparatus adapted for use in connection with a cloth-finishing machine.

To these ends my invention consists, first, in theprovision of vertically-adjustable horizontal rollers, one located between each heat-A ing-chamber and the press, for the purpose of supporting thel heated leaves as they are withdrawn from the chambers and facilitating their passage to and from the press; secondly, in the provision of means for simultaneously raising the vertical guide-pins which project from the press-bedV and hold the heated leaves in place; and, thirdly, in a measuring-roll adapted to be used in connection with 'a cloth-finishing machine, said roll being combined with indicating mechanism operated by its forward rotation, and a device for preventing its backward rotation, all of which I will now proceed to describe. l

In the drawings, A represents .the press, having the guide-pins E E 5 H H1, the heatingi thebearing-surfaces of the shelves.

with the steam-spaces, these tubes preferably supporting sheets of thin metal, h', which form This arrangement enables several sets of leaves to be heated in each chamber, so that when the press is emptied after a pressing operation a set off leaves will be heated, readyfor the succeeding operation without delay.

R R represent substantially horizontal rollers located between the chambers H H andthe press. These rollers are journaled in yvertical racks R1 R1, which are raised and lowered by pinions Rf on shafts R3. The rollers serve to support the leaves M and facilitate their passage to and from the chambers H Hl, the leaves being of considerable weight. The adjustability of the rollers R enables them to be raised or lowered,- so as to operate in connection with either compartlnent of the chambers H H1.

P P represent convex plates or surfaces, of smoothly-polished material, interposed between the press-bed and the lower portions ot' each of the heating-chambers. These plates form bearing-surfaces for the leaves M to slide on as they are taken from and returned to the lower compartments of the heating-chambers.

.The form and location of the plates P P enable the leaves to be shoved into the lower compartments of the chambers without danger of their surfaces being indented or abraded by striking sharp angles.

The guide-pins E E', which in my abovenamed patent are described as being vertically adjustable, are now raised simultaneously in pairs by means of two horizontal shafts, S S, having friction-pulleys f f bearing against the pins E E', and similar friction-pulleys f f bearing against said pins on the sides opposite the pulleys f f, as shown in 2. The rotation of each shaft S raises two of the guide-pins by means of the pulleys ff', the latter allowing the pins to be depressed by the descent of .the press-follower. The shafts S S are provided with cranks or hand-wheels W, whereby they are rotated.

The cloth is carried to the press, as in my form er patent, by a series of delivering-rollers, D, the cloth being folded around the heated leaves M as it leaves the last roller. In my former patent the cloth was drawn from the rollers by the operation of withdrawing the leaves from their chambers. I have now provided a folder, I, for facilitating the folding operation and preventing the friction on the edges of the leaves caused by the rubbing of the cloth. This is composed of two parallel rollers, I- I2, of sufficient length to extend across the bed of the press. These rollers are journaled jin end plates J J, which are provided with a rotary handle, K. y The rollers are separated by a space sufficiently wide to easily admit a thickness of cloth. When the cloth comes from the last guide-roller it is passed between the rollers I1 I2 of the folder, and as soon as it is confined under a heated leaf, drawn from one of the heating-chambers, the handles K are grasped by two operators, one on each side of the machine, and the folder I is moved along over the leaf just laid, drawing the cloth along over said leaf, and leaving the cloth spread out, ready to be covered by the succeeding leaf, which is taken from the opposite heating-chamber. The folder is then drawn back' over the last leaf, and so on, spreading the cloth smoothly over the surface of each heated leaf, and folding it over the edges of the leaves.

This device prevents the cloth from being wrinkled as it is prepared for the press, and obviates the friction of the cloth on the edges of the leaves which was caused by the method of folding described in my former patent, the leaves being laid upon the cloth after it is drawn out, instead of aiding to draw the cloth as before. Moreover, the weight of the rollers, as they are carried beyond the ends of the pile, tends to stretch each layer of cloth as it is spread out, and thus cause it to be compactly folded and lie smoothly upon each leaf.

X represents a series of rollers adapted to remove the cloth from the press, as in my former patent. One of the rollers, U', of this series I adapt to measure the cloth by providing it with a roughened surface, combining with it a dial, V, and two pointers, to x. The dial is attached to the frame-work f, and provided with two graduated scales, y y', the former indicating yards and the latter inches. The pointer w is attached directly to the arbor of the roller U', revolves in unison with it, and, in connection with the scale y', indicates the number of inches measured. The pointer x is revolved by gearing Z Z, which is actuated by therotation of the roller, and is so arranged as to indicate-'the number of yards measured. The roller U is rotated by the friction of the cloth passing over its roughened surface, as shown in Fig. l by dotted lines.

One of the arbors, u, of the roller U is provided with a device for preventing its backward rotation. This device consists of a loose friction-roller, R4, located in a tapering recess, R5, one side of which is formed by the periphery of the arbor, and the other by a recess cut in the bearing, the roller being in rolling contact with the arbor. This space R5 is narrowest at the bottom, and the diameter of the roller is less than the widest and greater than the narrowest part of the wedge-shaped space.

When the arbor is rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 6, the roller has no effect; but when the rotation is reversed the roller is instantly wedged into the narrow portion of the recess and stops the arbor, thus preventing the accidental backward rotation of the machine-roller.

The recess R5 and roller R are. securely covered, soas to be inaccessible.

This device is adapted to measuring any fabric or material which is made in a continuous length, such as paper, carpeting, &c.

It will be readily seen that by means of these several improvements the operations of heating the leaves, transferring them from the chambers to the press, and vice versa, adj ustin g the guidepins with reference to the height of the pile of cloth and leaves, folding the cloth over the leaves, and measuring the cloth are greatly facilitated, and at the same time a great saving is elfected in the wear of the leaves M.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is-

l. The vertically-adjustable rollers R, interposed between the press A and the heatingchambers H Hl, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The vertical guide-pins E E', adapted to be adjusted vertically in the bed of the press, in combination with the friction-pulleys f f and shafts S S, whereby said pins are adjusted simultaneously in pairs, substantially as described. v

3. In combination, the measuring-roll U',

working in a bearing provided with the inclosed recess R5 and the friction-roller R4, whereby the backward rotation of the roll is prevented, and the pointer fw, gearing Z Z,

pointer x, and dial V, whereby the forwardl rotations of the roll are indicated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HEBDON.

Witnesses O. T. BROWN, vA. E. DENIsoN. 

